If World War 3 breaks out, certain key jobs could be spared from conscription in the UK, based on historic precedent from World War 2. These vocations, deemed too vital to national security, may be exempt from being forced to fight on the front lines or contribute to the war effort.
Historic precedent from WW2
In WW2, key industries involved in feeding the nation were spared conscription, including bakers, farmers, doctors, nurses, and engineers. Those who objected to fighting, known as 'conscientious objectors', were sent to tribunals and then made to work non-combatant jobs that helped the war in other ways.
Conscription in WW2 began for men aged between 20 and 22 in 1939, up to six months before the war actually broke out. The UK Parliament website states: "During the spring of 1939 the deteriorating international situation forced the British government under Neville Chamberlain to consider preparations for a possible war against Nazi Germany."
Expansion of conscription
Plans for limited conscription applying to single men aged between 20 and 22 were given parliamentary approval in the Military Training Act in May 1939, requiring men to undertake six months' military training. Some 240,000 registered for service. When war was declared, the age range was immediately widened to any man aged 18 to 41.
On 3 September 1939, the day Britain declared war on Germany, Parliament passed the National Service (Armed Forces) Act, imposing conscription on all males aged between 18 and 41. Those medically unfit were exempted, as were others in key industries and jobs such as baking, farming, medicine, and engineering.
Women and older men called up
By the end of 1941, women and 'all childless widows' between the ages of 20 and 30 were called up, while men aged up to 51 were called up for military service. Even those aged 52 to 60 were required to take part in 'some form of military service'. The main reason was that there were not enough men volunteering for police and civilian defence work, or women for the auxiliary units of the armed forces.
Mike Martin, an Afghanistan veteran and the MP for Tunbridge Wells, told the Express: "There's a significant chance that it [war with Russia] might happen so we must be prepared." He added: "Obviously, if we get involved in a general war with Russia, we'll be conscripting the population - there's no question about that. Being prepared generates deterrence, which decreases the likelihood [of war]. The whole point about building the military up is it decreases the likelihood of this happening."
